Barack Obama emerged into the spotlight this week as he appeared on stage during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and took aim at Donald Trump. At the same convention, Trump’s former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham delivered a scathing speech as she endorsed Kamala Harris.
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The former President delivered his most animated address in nearly a decade as he worked to pass his political legacy to Harris. Michelle Obama—who sparked rumors of a feud with the Biden family last month—also delivered a devastating takedown of Trump in a speech while supporting Harris.
Obama compares Trump supporters to ‘grandparents who occasionally make us cringe’
On the second night of the DNC on Tuesday (August 20), Barack and Michelle Obama took a different approach than their usual ‘when they go low, we go high.’ They branded Trump as a ‘grievance-obsessed grumbler whose act had gone stale,’ reports BBC.
The Obamas opted for a new Democratic technique of using humor to criticize him, suggesting that he’s ego-driven and petty. Barack Obama likened him to ‘the neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day.’
He went on to suggest Democrats should listen to people who do not yet support Harris and warned against criticizing Trump supporters. He said:
If a parent or grandparent occasionally says something that makes us cringe, we don't automatically assume they're bad people.
We recognize the world is moving fast, and that they need time and maybe a little encouragement to catch up. Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope they'll extend to us.
Elsewhere, Obama’s speech was laced with criticism aimed squarely at Trump, whom he described as a ‘billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago,’ according to ABC Chicago.
Meanwhile, Michelle Obama countered Trump on his attacks on Harris’ racial identity. She said the former president is likely to resort to ‘ugly, misogynistic, racist lies’ about Harris, reports Fox News. She said:
It's his same old con. The same old con. Doubling down on ugly misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people's lives better.
She also took a swipe at his ‘generational wealth’ and suggested that Americans can ‘never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.’
Donald Trump addresses Barack Obama’s ‘personal’ speech
Soon after Barack Obama’s artful takedown of Trump, the 78-year-old criticized him for ‘getting personal,’ writes Politico.
At his first outdoor rally in Asheboro, North Carolina, since his attempted assassination, Trump polled the crowd on whether he should also get personal with the competition after Obama’s digs.
Speaking to the crowd, he said:
Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night taking little shots? He was taking shots at your president and so was Michelle.
You know, they always say, ‘Sir, please stick to policy, don’t get personal,’ but they’re getting personal all night, these people.
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Sources Used
BBC: Michelle Obama belittles Trump in starry convention turn
ABC Chicago: Barack Obama at DNC speech: Read the full text of the former president's address
Fox News: Michelle Obama's 3rd consecutive DNC speech slamming Trump rips his 'racist lies,' 'narrow view of the world'
Politico: Trump slams Obamas’ DNC speeches for ‘getting personal’
